Review Of ' Extraordinary Conditions : Culture And Experience On Mental Illness Essay

Postmodern therapy has the aim of assisting in the management of mental illness and reducing symptoms. The recovery model parallel postmodernism views based on concepts of social justice and strength-based practices. Postmodernism and the recovery model both share adapted recovery-oriented contexts. The way we view ourselves is based on our culture. Surroundings and situations affect everything we do in life and how we respond to certain situations, based on our different perspectives created by the language of our culture. Postmodernism states that our identities are shaped by words that define the issues at hand; whether they are or aren’t actual issues. Those who have power can control the reality by communication and definitions which is enabling to the culture’s perception. Perceptions are created by those who have the power to change it and deconstruct it (Gehart, 2014). Based on the social constructionism perspective, social constructionism is a reality that is formed by relationships and perspectives gained through social interactions. Social constructionism relates to the recovery model in terms of the language used to describe the disease and/or deficit. Social constructionism sets the standards that determine the

Mental illness is as ruthless as it is unforgiving. Those who are victims to it often are unnoticed and feel shamed for existing under its control. Depression is a disease which, according to the Black Dog Institute, affects one in seven Australians in their lifetime, but it is one which fails to be successfully addressed in society, plausibly due to the prevalence of stigmatisation. The stigma associated with mental illness often prevents people from seeking professional treatment and while mental health activists and professionals promote the stigma of mental illness to be one which is diminishing in society, it still remains a condition with extremely concerning repercussions.

Imagine living in a world of constant chaos with having no relief from hearing voices, hallucinations, mood swings (highs and lows), anger, confusion, violence, and erratic sleep patterns. People with serious mental illness continue to deal with a few or all the symptoms listed. According to the Kim Foundation “An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people” (thekimfoundation.org). Many times these people see no end in sight causing them to become destructive and violent towards family,

It is no secret that Western medicine and ideals have seeped their way into countries all around the globe. The Diagnostics and Statistic’s Manual (DSM) is a Western medicine book outlining all the “real” mental illnesses and disorders and how to treat them. Now the book only takes into account illnesses that have become prevalent in Western society, and discredits those from other countries (Watters 2010). Before the DSM was distributed worldwide, many countries did not experience the same illnesses of the mind that the West did. In many countries, mental illness was viewed as a spiritual plague that one was suffering from and therefore was not treated as a crazy person. In order to cure this spiritual problem, the family and friends of the sick would surround them with food, music, and dance in order to ease their spiritual woes (Watters 2010). These very different and “indigenous” illnesses were likely to develop along different paths if left uninterrupted by the DSM. The problem this manual created is that all over the world instances of diseases that were completely Western popped up where they once never existed. The symptoms of anorexia, for example, never included a phobia of becoming fat

Labeling individuals, nurses prescribing needed medications for psychiatric patients, and the argument on the insanity plea are among the many mental health debates happening in the world today. This world is full of many cultures that have diverse definitions of norms, healthy, and deviance, which makes deciding who is making the correct argument very difficult. There is no one solid answer to the multitude of questions that come along with the dealings of anyone with a mental illness or diagnosis. This essay will explore multiple possibilities of both sides of the debates.

Although reading this book has helped me to put perspective of my experiences in mental health I still have lingering questions. Such as: In a broad cultural perspective why is mental health disorders not categorized as a disability? And what will it take to change that culture perspective? Without violating informed consent, can America create policy that doesn’t require the extreme “must be proven dangerous to themselves or others” to be consider for evaluation and treatment? Should medication adherence be mandatory for the severely mentally ill to access federal and state

Mental Illness is very crucial and should be taken serious, if left unattended one person can become either mad, fatigue, depress or even suicidal. If a person need help they need to seek treatment or see a psychologist’s and doctor about their systems. Everyone is entitled to know about their symptoms and health.

One in five Americans suffer from a mental illness (SoRelle). In a country where mental illness is common, victims are still afraid to seek help for their disease. More often than not, this is due to the negative stigma that surrounds it. Unfortunately, the refusal to garner help for mental illness can lead to negative consequences that are entirely preventable. Although there are negative stigmas that surround it, untreated mental illness leads to incarceration, suicide, and homelessness.

“It must be remembered that for the person with severe mental illness who has no treatment the most dreaded of confinements can be the imprisonment inflicted by his own mind, which shuts reality out and subjects him to the torment of voices and images beyond our own powers to describe”. Serious mental illness affects approximately 9.6 million people in the United States, or about 4.1% of the population.3 In addition to the many debilitating symptoms of serious mental illness, many people also lack insight into the extent and effects of their symptoms; lack of insight is neurologically based and is often a hallmark of serious mental illness. This lack of insight coupled with the complexities of serious mental.

A mental disorder is a breakdown in development, mental process, or physical realm created by a problem in the thoughts, emotions, or behaviors of an individual as noted by disabling conditions on a personal, familial, social, and occupational level (Shiraev & Levy, 2017). To be considered a mental disorder, there must be distress on the part of the individual affected by the clinical findings (Shiraev & Levy, 2017). Diagnoses of mental disorders can be challenging because of cultural input. Shiraev and Levy (2017) suggested “subjective experience”, “idioms of distress”, “diagnoses”, “treatment”, and “outcome” are affected by the individual cultures (p. 253). Basically, how a person manifests their symptoms is based on cultural practices,

Attitudes regarding mental illness vary among individuals, families, cultures and countries. Cultural beliefs often shape an individual’s belief about mental illness and form an individual’s attitude towards the mentally ill. Cultures differ in what they consider to be normal and abnormal, therefore mental illness interrelates with what kinds of help individuals will receive, who they will see to treat these disorders and whether or not members from a certain culture will seek help at all. As stated in our text book “In Latin American and southern Europe, a person having a panic attack may report feelings of choking, being smothered, and fear of dying.” In the United States panic attacks are generally more common and are not considered as serious they are in other cultures. In regards to researching the relationship

Not just in the United States, but throughout the world culture has an influence on mental illness. Each culture, over time, comes to acquire its own notions concerning right and wrong, good and bad, proper and improper, healthy and unhealthy, normal and abnormal. Even within a single culture, opinions vary as to what constitutes mental illness, and how the term itself shall be defined (Cultural Influences on Mental

While America is in part driven to spread its beliefs of mental illness for economic purposes, it is also motivated by its own cultural understanding of mental illness as a biological and universal thing. Western mental health practitioners often feel that their extensive knowledge of the brain has somehow transcended any trace of cultural influence that limits other diagnostic and treatment methods in other cultures. Rarely is it recognized that our own scientific beliefs about mental illness are culturally shaped and

Everyday aches, pains, disappointments, stresses, and existential sufferings are being reframed as mental illnesses with such exuberance that it is getting hard for anyone to get through life without a psychiatric diagnosis

Individual attitudes and values relating to mental illness stem from cultural background which Hungerford et al. (2012, p. 118) illustrates, serves as a filter which one acts, reacts to and interacts with others. Therefore, my attitudes and values relating to mental illness is most inclusive to what I have been exposed to during my tertiary education, which could be problematic if I have not been subjected to an understanding of specific cultural practices, beliefs, concepts and ideas, of a certain community. It is fundamental this is addressed, particularly in circumstances like Justin’s due to the risk of behaving or saying something inappropriate (Mental Health First Aid Australia 2008, p. 2). This lack of cultural understanding could deter